Portable bed rolls have been known for many years. When one goes camping one uses a sleeping bag. Although some particularly hardy campers prefer to sleep directly on the ground, it is more common to find some kind of ground covering, such as a tent floor or ground sheet to keep the sleeping bag from absorbing moisture, or to keep the sleeping bag clean. For those who find sleeping on the ground uncomfortable and prefer some cushioning one may easily purchase an expanded foam mat or an air mattress. Many such mats and mattresses are known. However, for any of these one must pack and carry at least three separate items: The sleeping bag, the ground cover, and the cushioning layer.
Further, one does not always have camping equipment available when an unexpected need for a bed arises. For example, one may have a mechanical failure on the highway, and have to spend the night awaiting help. Alternatively, one may have consumed wines, ale, or spirits to such an extent that it may not be prudent to drive home.
In such circumstances it may be desirable to have access to a bed which does not require a high level of concentration or a great deal of time to prepare. It may also be advantageous to have a ground covering that is both resistant to absorption of liquids and resistant to puncture by, for example, broken glass. Air mattresses are particularly poorly suited for use in areas of broken glass, and expanded foams may easily be cut. Repeated cutting of these foams may soon render them unfit for further use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,495 to Velasquez one finds a combination camper's tent, cot, and pack frame utilizing a tubular frame to which fabric is attached to form a tent. Velasquez refers to the use of a sleeping bag within the tent, but neither discloses in the drawings nor in the text how this is done. Most importantly Velasquez describes a piece of camping equipment that requires assembly and disassembly of the sort which may exceed, at least temporarily, the capabilities of those who may wish to employ the present invention. It is too complex and cumbersome.
Similarly, although U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,279 to Ipsen, Jr., describes a unitary structure comprising a cot, a covering or top, and a foldable mattress, again, this is a piece of camping equipment. It requires at least a modest level of erection of the frame and canopy, and therefore a level of concentration and skill which the present invention seeks to avoid. Furthermore it comprises a bulky, hard external tubular metal frame. Although Ibsen, Jr., refers to storage in car trunks, trucks and boats for transportation, the rigid frame with sharp edged fittings would not be suitable for squeezing behind, or under, a seat or for compressing into a corner. Complicated structure is also found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,407 to Russell. U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,362 to Duncan concerns a hinged container for compressing a sleeping bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,092 to Gaiser and U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,733 to Tsai both disclose integral inflatable mattress and sleeping bag assemblies. Gaiser discloses a resilient porous cellular material within an air tight jacket and a mandrel about which the assembly may be rolled to expel air. Tsai teaches a sleeping bag disposed intermediate upper and lower inflatable longitudinally ribbed air mattresses. While these units are not complicated, they both are vulnerable to punctures, and are not really beds-within-a-container.
Thus there is a need for a self-contained, easily cleaned bed, cushion, and ground cover device suitable for use on a moments' notice by those who may not be disposed to activities requiring intense concentration.